Chapter 501: Nighttime Surprise Attack

Ning Zhuo's face was as calm as water.

Although he and Mu Lan had become husband and wife, it was merely a political marriage and did not involve anything practical.

All along, this had been concealed from the public, known only to a few people at the time.

This was a tacit understanding of the righteous path.

Ning Zhuo was not surprised that Shuang Ling knew about this situation. After all, the former came from the royal family, so it was normal for her to know the inside story.

But at this very moment, in front of the public, she had actually blurted out this secret.

Shuang Ling had broken this tacit understanding of the righteous path; it was undoubtedly a very serious provocation.

Ning Zhuo stared at Shuang Ling.

Shuang Ling sneered: "Little child, is this the upbringing of your Ning family? I am a princess of the Liangzhu Kingdom, a Nascent Soul cultivator, and your elder; you are being too rude."

Ning Zhuo smiled slightly: "I am a citizen of the Nandou Kingdom. This time, I am responding to the call of your country's monarch to uphold the righteous path and resist the evil demonic cultivators of the Thousand Peaks Forest."

"I have always felt that the monarch of the Liangzhu Kingdom is respectful to the virtuous and condescending to the lowly, serving as a model for monarchs. But today, from the Princess, I have received a different impression."

"You, as a princess, are actually pressing a junior like me so aggressively; what is the logic in that?"

"Is this the attitude of the Liangzhu Kingdom toward the itinerant cultivators participating in the war?"

Shuang Ling's expression changed slightly at once.

Ning Zhuo had slapped a big label on her right from the start, making her noble status a weakness instead.

The City Lord of Canglin Immortal City saw that the situation was not good and hurriedly stepped forward to smooth things over.

Shuang Ling chuckled and pointed at Ning Zhuo: "The little fellow has a sharp tongue; it's somewhat interesting. The battlefield is dangerous; I hope that after this great war, I will still be able to see you."

Shuang Ling lacked eloquence and, having been hit by Ning Zhuo's soft blade, followed the steps actively offered by the City Lord of Canglin Immortal City, slowly sat down, and no longer entangled herself with Ning Zhuo.

But although she had no subsequent verbal confrontation, in the following auction, she repeatedly targeted Ning Zhuo.

Whenever Ning Zhuo took a fancy to a mechanical creation, she would buy it at a high price, using her power to suppress others; her hostility was quite obvious.

So much so that by the time this auction ended, Ning Zhuo had gained very little.

"I am a bit angry." On the way back, Ning Zhuo said to Mu Lan.

Mu Lan pondered: "She is, after all, a figure who has been famous for a long time in the royal family. The 'Princess of Ingenuity' is a big signboard among the Nascent Soul stage of the royal family, famous throughout the country."

"There is no need to clash head-on with her; we have suffered too much of a loss."

Mu Lan was not willing to back Ning Zhuo up.

Although Shuang Ling had pointed out her marital relationship with Ning Zhuo and broken the tacit understanding of the righteous path, Mu Lan did not care much.

On one hand, she had been educated by General Mu Lao since she was a child and was loyal to the Liangzhu Kingdom. On the other hand, she did not care about her reputation in this regard. Deep down, she wanted their marital relationship to be exposed even more, to solidify her relationship with Ning Zhuo.

If the marriage contract between Ning Zhuo and the Nandou Kingdom's royal family were destroyed, binding him to the General Mu Mansion, Mu Lan would be very happy.

The longer she spent with Ning Zhuo, the more interested Mu Lan became in him.

"Uncle Zhang is much older than me and has a discerning eye for talent; he knew long ago that Ning Zhuo is the husband of my dreams."

Ning Zhuo was young and wealthy, his Five Elements realm was extraordinary and refined, and he had mastered numerous mechanisms. Although he only had Foundation Establishment cultivation, he was a powerful Jin Dan-level combat force.

Ning Zhuo's strategy, his ability to handle people and things, and the fact that he served as a military advisor in the Three Generals Camp and could always complete his duties quickly—Mu Lan saw all of this in her eyes.

"Those three old roughnecks in the Three Generals Camp need Ning Zhuo to keep accounts and calculate. Doesn't my Red Flower Camp need it too?"

Mu Lan was calculating Ning Zhuo.

After Ning Zhuo probed a bit, he immediately understood Mu Lan's intentions and stopped speaking.

The two remained silent along the way. After leaving the city gate, Ning Zhuo immediately parted ways and went back to the Three Generals Camp to sleep.

In the days that followed, he mainly trained troops, and secondarily cultivated.

In his spare time, Ning Zhuo went back to the Immortal City to purchase mechanical pedestals, only to find that they had all been bought up by the Princess of Ingenuity.

"Son-in-law! Son-in-law of the General's Mansion, I really congratulate you, sir!"

"Master Ning, please take the seat of honor."

"Master Ning, my master has prepared a banquet of wine and dishes at the restaurant; I hope you will grace us with your presence."

With the exposure of the marital relationship between Ning Zhuo and Mu Lan, every move Ning Zhuo made in the Immortal City received huge attention.

Ning Zhuo had to disguise his identity and attempt to make purchases.

The result was still that he could not buy any mechanical pedestals.

Shuang Ling had used her status to pressure all the shops, making them sell everything to her. "This is going too far. Little Zhuo, perhaps it is time for us, the 'Old Monster of Shi Zhong', to take action!" Sun Lingtong felt very indignant for Ning Zhuo.

Ning Zhuo shook his head and thought calmly: "The Princess of Ingenuity, Shuang Ling, is also good at group manipulation. She came to Canglin Immortal City in a great hurry; even Shuang Jing did not know about it."

"Now that she has arrived at the Immortal City, she is frantically purchasing various materials and buying up all the mechanical pedestals; she is clearly actively preparing for war."

"Suppressing us is just something she is doing along the way."

"Since she is a princess of the Liangzhu Kingdom, she must know more intelligence. Perhaps the day we set off for the front line again is not far off."

Ning Zhuo's analysis was not wrong.

The day the rear army set off was much earlier than he had anticipated.

Just three days later, a military order was issued. That very night, the rear army set off again.

Along the march, every military camp marched in formation without exception, being extremely cautious. At the slightest sign of trouble, they would immediately stop to prepare for battle; it was evident that the last ambush had indeed left many people with huge psychological shadows.

This time, the march was calm and peaceful.

The Golden Halberd Army, Red Flower Camp, Savage Demon Camp, White Jade Camp, Three Generals Camp, and Fire Cloud Camp all successfully arrived at the place where the central army was stationed—Mulun Town.

Please... you... collect 6... 9... book... bar...!

Du Tiechuan, the commander-in-chief of the Liangzhu Kingdom's three armies, summoned the various generals in batches.

When it was the Three Generals Camp's turn, Du Tiechuan personally gave the order for the military advisor Ning Zhuo to come and see him as well.

Thus, Ning Zhuo went with Liu, Generals Guan, and Zhang to have close contact with Du Tiechuan, this great cultivator of the Spirit Transformation level.

Du Tiechuan was relatively thin, with distinct facial features, eyebrows like knives, and a deep, calm gaze. His skin was slightly pale. He wore a silver silk hair-binding crown, a gray-blue long robe, and a silver armor on the outside, fully displaying a rigid and unyielding aura.

After Liu, Generals Guan, Zhang, and Ning reported their duties, Du Tiechuan gave an "en" sound, and his gaze turned to Ning Zhuo.

He opened his mouth and said: "Young Master Ning Zhuo, please take a seat."

Liu, Generals Guan, and Zhang had respectful expressions; only Liu Er raised his eyebrows slightly.

Ning Zhuo thanked him and sat on the chair with half his buttocks, placing his hands on his thighs, sitting upright.

The identity of a military advisor and the identity of the Ning family were not enough to make a great Spirit Transformation cultivator and commander-in-chief of three armies treat him with such courtesy.

The identity of Mu Lan's husband and the son-in-law of the General Mu Mansion was the key!

Du Tiechuan encouraged the four of them and then let them withdraw.

On the way back, Liu, Generals Guan, Zhang, and Ning used their spiritual sense to transmit thoughts, discussing their respective views on Du Tiechuan.

Liu Er was absent-minded.

He could not help but think that Ning Zhuo was treated with such courtesy because he had become Mu Lan's husband. But according to the royal decree, he should have been Mu Lan's true husband!

Thinking of this, Liu Er felt very uncomfortable, and a few strands of cold light appeared in his gaze as he occasionally glanced at Ning Zhuo.

Let's say Ning Zhuo returned to his own camp and began his daily cultivation, moving the cultivation base of his three dantian to nourish precious medicines.

In the middle of the night, suddenly the alarm bell rang, resounding throughout Mulun Town.

"Enemy attack!"

"This bell sound means an enemy is attacking!"

"And it's a powerful enemy!!"

Various armies immediately reacted, and from this moment, one could see which army was the best trained.

Without a doubt, the Red Flower Camp took the lead, but the gap with the second-place Golden Halberd Army was not large.

Ning Zhuo immediately interrupted his cultivation, ran out of the camp, and met up with the three generals Liu, Generals Guan, and Zhang.

They had acted earlier than Ning Zhuo, each riding a warhorse, and were already mobilizing the army.

Ning Zhuo's mechanical army was much more convenient than living people and could be carried with him.

But at this moment, Ning Zhuo still merged into the three generals' army first, to judge the real enemy situation before making other decisions.

As a result, after waiting for a moment, the scouts returned to report that there were no signs of any enemy troops around.

"Could it be a false alarm?"

Just as he thought this, the military order was passed down.

The content of the military order was too explosive; to avoid shaking the morale of the army, only the generals and important high-level officials were informed.

"What? Commander Du Tiechuan was ambushed and is now seriously injured?!"

"Who exactly did it?"

"Young Master Sheng Xu?!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 502 =====